The Infirmary Dream Team
by Devoted hallmark fan
Summary: Faith Carter and Carson Shepard Hope Valley's Doctor and Nurse Team start out as friends and slowly they start to fall for each other and become a couple. This will be their story and more as their relationship goes on
1. Prologue

**Prologue: A New Beginning**

 _ **Faith's Story**_

For as long as Faith Carter could remember she had always wanted to find a way to help people, so she followed in her mom's path and became a nurse. Her first job was at the Hospital in Hamilton where she had worked for a five years before moving west after meeting someone and moved to where he worked. After a while they broke their relationship off when she decided to stay in the town of Hope Valley where she had been asked to go to see a patient and cover for the doctor she was now working for in Union City. She did not want to stop doing what she loved to do, so she accepted the offer of reopening the town's infirmary which she ran on her own before a new doctor had finally made an appearance in town, but the residence did not know for a while until he revealed his story. Faith had been living in Hope Valley for almost a year and half before the doctor came to town and decided to practice again and this time in Hope Valley with Faith as his nurse to assist him. She had accepted after he had saved the life of a young boy a few months after arriving in town as railroad worker then as a cook for the café for a short time as well according to what Faith had heard around town from the residence of Hope Valley. Being a nurse and what she had been reading and studying on her own time in medical book about medicine helped her to take care of the town's residence on her own as best as she could for close to two years before the doctor gave in and became needed which Faith was grateful for. This was a whole new beginning for her and making her life in Hope Valley permanently.

 _ **Carson's Story**_

Carson Shepard had come to Hope Valley to escape his past and to get a new start. He had gotten a job with the railway, but after getting injured saving a child from a runaway wagon he decided to try to find a new job. One day he was walking past Abigail's café and noticed a for help sign in the window so he goes inside to inquire about it with the owner Abigail Stanton. When he tells her why he wants to job cooking for her after she asks why he says;

"I have the experience needed to cook, I used to work a chuck wagon, plus I hurt myself doing railway work and I thought I would apply for a safer job" Carson says

'well okay. Since I need the help you are hired" Abigail replies, "when can you start" she continues

"how about tomorrow" Carson responds

" tomorrow works see you tomorrow" Abigail responds

Carson enjoyed working for Abigail. He had only been in town for about three months when a friend of his tracked him down and told him about trouble an in-law was going to give him and was heading his way. He was able to calm the situation down and then decided to leave town so as not to cause any more trouble. A couple of hours after he left town, a few of the towns men along with Elizabeth Thatcher ( now Thornton) came searching for him since they knew his story of his past when he was forced to tell it and how he used to be a doctor. It was Elizabeth who had found him and persuaded him to go back to Hope Valley after one of the town's kid Cody needed medical attention and surgery which he performed after much debate between him, another doctor, and Cody's adapted/ foster mother Abigail and he was able to save Cody. This emergency made him rethink his whole job situation so he decided to get back to being a doctor and opened his own practice and Hope Valley and became the towns doctor. He kept on Faith Carter as his nurse and he knew he made the right decision after all as he got to know the towns people and Faith better with each passing day since deciding to stay in town and making a new life for himself.


	2. Ch 1 Opening a practice and friendship

**Ch1: Opening a Practice and Friendships**

A couple of months after saving Cody Stanton's life when he had appendices, Abigail was so thankful for all Carson had done to save his life, it was then Carson realized that the town of Hope Valley was the place that he wanted to stay and open a family/ town practice to care for the citizens of Hope Valley. He was unsure at first if he wanted to go back into medicine, but the citizens of Hope Valley encouraged him after he had saved Cody Abigail's adoptive son. He would open his practice in the towns infirmary building that Faith Carter had reopened a year or two earlier and he would ask Faith to stay on as his nurse and assistant to help him. After making up his mind to open his practice he went in search of Faith and asked;

"Miss Carter, would you consider being my nurse and assistant in my practice" Carson asked

"Please, call me Faith and I would love to" Faith replied

"Thank you so much Faith, and you can call me Carson. I know we will make a great team" Carson says

After Carson had asked her to stay on as his nurse and join the practice he would open in town which Faith knew was definitely needed in the town of Hope Valley she was thankful that he had shown up in town as were the rest of the residents.

After deciding to open his practice in town Carson was able to get it up and running pretty quickly as only a few things were needed to fix up the infirmary to make it comfortable as residents waited to be seen. This was all done within two months. Carson was also starting to form friendships with Faith his nurse and assistant, along with the other residents of Hope Valley which Included Elizabeth and Jack Thornton, Rosemary and Lee Coulter, Abigail Stanton, Clara Stanton, Jesse Flynn, Bill Avery, and the other town residents. Carson knew it would not be long until all the residents heard about him and his practice as he knew the town was small especially when Florence Blackly and Dottie Ramsey started spreading the news to the other residents of the town. As the months went by, Carson was glad he was able to make friends pretty quickly and he soon started to have feelings as more than friendship for his nurse and assistant Faith Carter, but he was so scared and nervous to admit it to her. He knew he would gather up his courage he needed to face her to tell her as long as he knew she felt the same way about him eventually. His practice was also off to a great start which he was glad it was and the residents were thankful to finally have a full time doctor in town all the time he knew since they had to go to the next town or wait for one to come to town previously before he had shown up in town. Life in Hope Valley was just perfect for him, and just the fresh start he needed as he returned to doing what he loved.


	3. Ch 2 Struggling over a decision

**Chapter 2: Struggling over a decision**

When Faith learned that the new doctor in Hope Valley wanted to stay and open a practice and keep her on as his nurse she was happy to accept. She could not imagine doing anything else other than being a nurse or not leaving Hope Valley which had become her new home over the past two years when she originally came to help an injured resident in place of a doctor who could not get away from an important task where she worked in Union City. She did not intend to stay but at the last minute decided to after a breakup.

After the new doctor had opened his Practice in town Faith started to form a close friendship with him. The doctor's name was Carson Shepard. They always seemed to learn more about each other as they worked on helping the residents of Hope Valley whenever they came into the infirmary, or they had to ride out to see patients who could not come into town because of their age or for other reasons.

As the months went on Faith was starting to fall for the doctor who was also her boss, and coworker as more than a friend. She was not sure what to do about it, she did not know is she should tell him or not how she felt as maybe he did not feel the same way about her. She was also afraid to start a new relationship as she was just getting over her engagement to someone else. She had broken it off because he had wanted her to stop being a nurse. She would not quit or give up her job, so she decided to stay permanently in Hope Valley and maybe one day find someone who would let her stay being a nurse. She was also nervous to admit to Dr. Shepard her feelings of him she had as well. She decided to wait to see what he would do first or to try to gather clues whenever they would be working to what his feelings were so they could at least be on the same page in terms of their attraction to each other before she said anything.

 _A few weeks later_

Dr. Carson Shepard one morning about seven months after opening his practice noticed that Faith kept glancing his way every hour and he did not know why. He thought maybe and said to himself, ~ _could Faith Carter my nurse and assistant be falling for me, starting to like me, what should I do? Should I admit to her I am falling for her_ ~, he thinks to himself as he is working five feet across the room from where Faith was busy restocking the supplies in the cabinets.

As Faith was restocking she noticed Carson was noticing she was looking at him and thought to herself, ~ _could he possibly wonder if I am falling for him and too scared to admit it to him, what should I do_ ~, she thinks to herself as she continues putting away band-aids, prescription pads etc.. Faith is also thinking to herself, _~maybe I should go and ask Abigail and Elizabeth for some advice about if I should let Carson know I am falling for him. Maybe I will go after work later this afternoon~,_ she tells herself as she switches to folding some clean sheets to be used for the infirmary cots later in the future.

As Carson is looking over some of the patient files he is thinking to himself, ~ _maybe I should go ask for some advice from Jack about how to let Faith know I am falling for her, he will know what to do, he has been in this same position I am in now. In fact I will do just that later this afternoon_ ~, as Carson finishes his train of thoughts.

 _Later in the Afternoon_

After both Faith and Carson had finished their work for the afternoon at the infirmary, Faith makes her way over to Abigail cafe to track down Elizabeth and Abigail since she knows she can find Elizabeth there most days after school, while Carson goes over to the Jail to find Jack to talk to and ask for advice.

As soon as Faith gets to the cafe she spies Elizabeth at a table by the door and approaches the table. Once she is in front of Elizabeth she says;

"Elizabeth could I ask you for some advice" Faith asks

"Sure Faith, I will be Happy to" Elizabeth responds

" Well for the past couple of months as I am getting to know our new town doctor Carson Shepard, I am starting to fall for him and liking him as just more than a friend and coworker, but I don't know how to admit it to him or if I should. What should I do Elizabeth" Faith asks

As faith was talking Abigail had walked into the room and caught most of what she had asked Elizabeth so she says to Abigail as Elizabeth is thinking of what to say

"any advice, Abigail" Faith asks

"well if you are falling for him, just try to find the right time to" Abigail says

"yes what Abigail just said. Also, I was in the same position as you when Jack first showed up in town. As we got to know each other, I started to feel the same way, and I finally got up the courage to tell him so, so you too can gather up the courage to tell Dr. Carson how you feel when you are ready and when you think will be the right time to" Elizabeth responds

"Thank you so much Abigail and Elizabeth for the advice. I will find the right time to tell him when I am ready" Faith responds

After Faith finishes her conversation with Abigail and Elizabeth she leaves the café to go home and to try to think of the right time to tell Carson how she feels and will try to over the next few day as they work.

Meanwhile across the street at the Jail and the towns Mountie Office Carson was asking Jack for advice on what to do about his feelings he was having about Faith his assistant and nurse. Just as Carson was closing the door Jack was coming out of the adjacent room and when he saw Carson Jack said;

"is there a problem, did you need me to investigate anything Dr. Shepard" Jack asks

"No thanks Jack, I just came to ask you for some advice" Carson responds

"sure, what kind of advice do you need" Jack replies

"well as you know I have not been in town very long and you know I have kept Nurse Faith Carter on as my nurse when I opened my practice a few months ago. As we have been getting to know more about each other these past few months I have started to have feelings for her as more than a friend, but I am to scared to admit it to her or if I should, what should I do Jack? I don't want to lose her as my nurse either if she think us getting together will affect are work relationship as she is great at what she does " Carson replies

"well that is a tough situation. I was I the same position as you were when I first came to town and was falling for Elizabeth but was too nervous to admit it to her for a while, but I finally did and I am glad I did as I could not imagine having her by my side or in in my life as my life long partner and wife . So if you have feelings for Faith Carter you should find the right time that you think is right to let her know how you feel about her" Jack replies

"I will. Thank you Jack, I knew I could count on you for good advice" Carson responds

After he finishes his conversation with Jack, Carson goes home to think over as to when he thinks will be the right time to admit his feelings for Faith to her, and if he should do it at the infirmary or plan a special occasion or to taker her somewhere to tell her where it will be more private without he rest of the town knowing just yet or walking in on them while they talk. Carson decides to wait a few days to see what Faith will do first before making a final decision as what to do.


End file.
